STOP saying healthy food is more expensive
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but you have to think about more than just weight loss. diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other more or less severe chronic illnesses are directly linked to super processed junk. i wonder if heart disease is more or less expensive than a bag of apples?
well you clearly know nothing about anything. My parents have both always eaten very healthy. My mum had cancer and my dad has heart disease... I think you will find that a lot of those diseases are hereditary and some are born with them.
OMG this is so frustrating. i didnt say that healthy people dont get sick. read what i wrote again and maybe you will understand what i was trying to say.
its annoying isn't it? Having someone not understanding what you are trying to say? That's how the majority of us on this topic are feeling while reading certain responses on here.
but anyway 1) i read what you wrote perfectly 2) you said all these diseases and illnesses are directly related to "super processed junk". My argument is that they aren't. Cause if they were then healthy people wouldn't get them. Yes, super processed (whatever that is) food may not HELP but its not the cause.
i am not saying that we should all go out and live off of mcdonalds or kfc or anything but i buy frozen processed turkey from Iceland because its £1.50 whereas a whole turkey (which my husband and i wouldn't eat all of) is about £15.00. The main argument from the majority here is that we have to live within our means
im not talking about you here. im specifically talking about fast food, which i guess i could have been more clear about.honestly, i was just really frustrated by the woman who listed how many bags of chips she could buy for the amount of groceries the other woman bought. haha. have you ever seen a toddler with a baby bottle full of soda? i see that EVERY DAY. that is what im talking about. that is not right.
That would have been me and all I can say is 'stay mad'. People want to argue that eating 'healthy' is cheaper and its just not true. For that woman's bag of apples and carrots I could buy 3 bags of lays and a 2-liter of Pepsi. Its more expensive to buy the better food; if that frustrates you take it up with the people who price the food.
I never said I'd buy the chips. There are no chips in my home, they aren't my thing, and I spend 100+ dollars a week on food for two people, so clearly I'm shelling out the money for food. But what I do *personally* doesn't change how much the food is. It doesn't change that those 3 bags of chips would cost me less money. If that upsets you then you need to start lobbying for some reform, not getting angry at people on MFP for stating simple truths.0 -
Please say cheeky again! :flowerforyou:Sometimes there is just no arguing with an irrational mind. I'm not going to engage anymore cause I may just say something cheeky. Anyone who wants to add me... feel free.0 -
I was very good at couponing. Most coupons are for processed food. So yes, I could feed my family processed food for very cheap. When I started trying to be healthier, I started buying a lot less processed food and a lot more fresh. My grocery bill DID go up. I spend $15-$30 a week on berries alone. I used to go to the farmer's market every Friday. Here in San Diego, it doesn't seem to be any cheaper than shopping at the grocery store. I live in a townhouse with no yard at all so no gardening for me (I'd love to have a garden though). Am I using it as an excuse to eat crap? Nope. I pay what I have to pay. But there's no denying that I now have to pay more to feed my family than I did when I wasn't so concerned about our health.0
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MAYBE there are people who don't have money for EITHER?!??????????????????????????????????????????????IT ISN'T!!!!!! Those people who say that need to look at the cost of fastfood and junk food and THEN compare it to their DR bills???? Who is saving money NOW ?????????????????0 -
Turtle bomb.
[not meaning I would use a turtle as a bomb but more of a "let's hijack the post with pictures of turtles" sort of measure.]0 -
$30 for 2 for a week? Its costs me $10 for just 2 chicken breasts!0
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I honestly just bought $30 worth of fresh veggies, whole grain bread, meats, milk and cheese. I know it will last my hubby and I at least an entire week....
I calculated how much it would cost to get mac and cheese and chips and soda and crappy foods, I could get about the same amount of food, but a bag of chips goes so fast and it's not filling and makes you feel uber icky. I know that if I bought $30 of junk food, fast food, quick meals - I would not be able to sustain more than a few days between two people.
So, please stop with the excuses that eating healthy is too expensive. Grow a garden, pack some carrots, stay up an extra 10 mins to prepare a meal for the next day. Jeepers Creepers, quit complaining and research what groceries you have locally and what seasons good food comes in season/what freezes for winter when fruits and veggies go up in price.
So with you on this one.0 -
Lol everyone on here is trying to lose weight but argue that 3dollar TV dinners are much better and less time consuming than making your own food with lotsa veg. This is why you got fat in the first place.0
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Lol everyone on here is trying to lose weight but argue that 3dollar TV dinners are much better and less time consuming than making your own food with lotsa veg. This is why you got fat in the first place.
Quote me where someone said TV dinners are better.
I'll wait.0 -
Please say cheeky again! :flowerforyou:Sometimes there is just no arguing with an irrational mind. I'm not going to engage anymore cause I may just say something cheeky. Anyone who wants to add me... feel free.
Cheeky
lol 0 -
Lol everyone on here is trying to lose weight but argue that 3dollar TV dinners are much better and less time consuming than making your own food with lotsa veg. This is why you got fat in the first place.
Quote me where someone said TV dinners are better.
I'll wait.
:laugh: You beat me to it. I'll wait too.0 -
but it is0
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Try buying healthy food for a family of 7 in Canada. Literally costs us probably $300 for two weeks, maybe three if we stretch REALLY hard. And that's not even meat. That's just produce, bread, dairy, etc. But I always say, If I'm willing to go out for a crappy dinner at a fast food place and spend and extra $100 to do that, I should be willing the spend the extra money and get healthy stuff. But still, it is more expensive. Especially fresh and organic produce and meat.0
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Holy crap, the number of people here who don't understand that "unhealthy" does not automatically equal "potato chips and McDonald's"... wow. And no one is advocating eating junk food. Folks are patiently trying to explain why socioeconomic status and obesity are so freakin' closely linked.
It's because Hamburger Helper is cheaper and more filling and feeds more people than a chicken breast, for a better and more sensible answer.
Period.
Bagging on poor people for making what you see as bad choices is just ridiculous and a cheap shot.0 -
Lol everyone on here is trying to lose weight but argue that 3dollar TV dinners are much better and less time consuming than making your own food with lotsa veg. This is why you got fat in the first place.
Nobody and I literally mean not ONE person has said that TV dinners are better or less time consuming. What people have said is that there are certain products that are CHEAPER than fresh stuff. Like frozen veg is a hell of a lot cheaper than fresh veg. And as for "This is why you got fat in the first place" you really know nothing about anybody on here. Some of us (like me) got fat because after we had a miscarriage the doctor put us on medication that makes you gain weight like crazy regardless of what you eat, or (again like me) have polycystic ovary syndrome which makes losing weight difficult. you have no right to come on here and make a general statement like that when you don't know what you are talking about.0 -
Holy crap, the number of people here who don't understand that "unhealthy" does not automatically equal "potato chips and McDonald's"... wow. And no one is advocating eating junk food. Folks are patiently trying to explain why socioeconomic status and obesity are so freakin' closely linked.
It's because Hamburger Helper is cheaper and more filling and feeds more people than a chicken breast.
Period.
Bagging on poor people for making what you see as bad choices is just ridiculous and a cheap shot.
Nope. There is only healthy fresh food and McDonalds. There is no middle ground. Hamburger helper isn't 99 cents a box, and thus cheap while still being neither fresh nor 'healthy' (by the standers I think are being used in this thread anyway). It's all about those Golden Arches.0 -
i think i stated before that i was previously on welfare. i know what being poor is like. buying groceries that are healthy is not impossible on a fixed income. 3 bags of chips and a bottle of pepsi will not last as long as a bunch of kale, sweet potatoes, and a roast. a whole chicken and a handful of vegetables + some rice. dried beans. eggs. healthy food doesnt mean fine dining.0
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Fortunately, my food budget these days is more than some peoples rent but thank you for the concern.
And what you don't seem to realize it sometimes those considerations are luxuries people can't afford -- they're just trying to get through the week with a place to live and food -- any food -- to eat. On one hand it's great that so many people don't seem to have a freakin' clue about where some of us are coming from but on the other it's pretty infuriating to read posts like this.I love how some believe that everyone in the world drives or has access to farmer's markets.
I live in Montreal. I don't drive as my vision doesn't allow it. I went grocery shopping this weekend. It took me 4.5 hours round trip. I had to go to two places to get everything on my list. It cost me just over 100$ for ingredients for lunches and 16 dinner portions. I cook my own dinners for the most part.
There are two farmer's markets. It would take me as long to get to them. Forget about actual farms for me.
This is reality for many people and so I can understand. Thank god you don't need to eat only whole food to lose weight!
but you have to think about more than just weight loss. diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other more or less severe chronic illnesses are directly linked to super processed junk. i wonder if heart disease is more or less expensive than a bag of apples?
have you looked in to wellfare? seriously not a joke. access to food is a basic human right, and if you are literally starving because you cant afford to go to the grocery store, then you probably qualify for food assistance and should take advantage of it. i work for people w/ these issues. i can serve a meal for $2.13 that is completely from scratch and full of nutritous fruits and veggies. the people im talking about arent living on the streets starving to death (if they were starving to death i doubt they would be on a website dedicated to helping people lose weight). the people im talking about are eating mcdonalds instead of a more nutritious alternative arguing that they are only doing it because it's cheaper, which is not true in the short or long run. im saying that people who complain that nutritious food is more expensive are just making excuses and rationalizing their poor choices.
There is also a difference between desperately poor and living paycheck to paycheck the way I grew up. There wasn't any money for fast food, chips or soda -- a bag of apples, oranges or a bunch of bananas (one of those not all, whichever was cheaper) and a lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad to go with our spaghetti were the "splurges" we had once a month.
I can assure you my mother did the absolute best she could with what money she had at the time but that best didn't include "fresh veggies, whole grain bread, meats, milk and cheese". Because those foods aren't cheap. They're expensive for a lot of people and things like rent, electric and feeding your family at all has to take priority over whether or not heart disease is cheaper than fresh produce.0 -
i think i stated before that i was previously on welfare. i know what being poor is like. using food stamps to buy groceries that are healthy is not impossible on a fixed income. 3 bags of chips and a bottle of pepsi will not last as long as a band of kale, sweet potatoes, and a roast.
Chips are a snack and shouldn't be compared to a full meal. A bag of chips vs a bag of apples is a much more far comparison and the chips would last longer, I do believe. A bag of lays is 12 servings (or maybe it's 11. Idk, I don't have any on hand) and a bag of apples is about 7-8 apples. Logic says that I could get the chips, save 2.50, not have to worry about spoiling, and get more out of it.
However one roast, some potatoes, and kale (which I would never eat, but whatever) would be...dinner. Maybe some tasty leftovers for lunch. I could buy a box of hamburger helper, a can of green beans, and a pound of ground beef for the price of that roast.0 -
StaticNomad...I heart you and applaud you for your courage. I hope you're able to get at least part of your lives back0
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However one roast, some potatoes, and kale (which I would never eat, but whatever) would be...dinner. Maybe some tasty leftovers for lunch.
Out of interest... what IS Kale? I don't think I've ever seen that on my veg shelves. lol. It sounds weird so I assume it's green. 0 -
$30? Including meat? See, I don't believe in buying factory farmed meat, so I can easily spend $30 on meat for just one meal. Our milk is from a small local dairy, and I easily spend at least $20 a week on that. Farm fresh, local, pastured eggs? 3 dozen/week for $12. Then onto fruits and veggies: at least $50-60/week. So yeah, we eat pretty healthy, but it ain't cheap. And it depends on what you define as "healthy." Anything from a factory farm, to me, isn't healthy. GMO ingredients, which I'm pretty sure is in your bread, isn't healthy, so I have to spend more to buy things that *I* believe to be healthy, which includes organic flour so I can make my own breads.
This is a great point. Fresh seasonal fruit and veggies are pretty cheap where I live. I am lucky in that. I splurge big time if I spend more than $10 or $15 a week on produce. And that buys me a lot. Esp strawberries since we grow them year round here. Meat and dairy on the other hand. I want grassfed meat, and we don't have anyplace really to buy that locally so it is $$$$ and then some. Same with eggs and dairy. Eating animal products to me personally are only going to be healthy if they came from a healthy animal. That means hormone free and not living in a cage and fed only corn. That also means I'm paging out the rear to eat *healthy*.0 -
However one roast, some potatoes, and kale (which I would never eat, but whatever) would be...dinner. Maybe some tasty leftovers for lunch.
Out of interest... what IS Kale? I don't think I've ever seen that on my veg shelves. lol. It sounds weird so I assume it's green.
I only eat it when it's cooked with pig feet/ham hocks or turkey neck/wings, and even then I'm not a fan. Taste too...leafy for me.0 -
I spend about $80 a week or so on groceries for my husband and myself. Avoid all middle aisles, just get our fresh fruits and veggies, dairy, and meats and away we go!
Edit to add: When we were eating heavily processed, including take out, and regular groceries - we spent probably around $160-$200 a week.0 -
However one roast, some potatoes, and kale (which I would never eat, but whatever) would be...dinner. Maybe some tasty leftovers for lunch.
Out of interest... what IS Kale? I don't think I've ever seen that on my veg shelves. lol. It sounds weird so I assume it's green.
I only eat it when it's cooked with pig feet/ham hocks or turkey neck/wings, and even then I'm not a fan. Taste too...leafy for me.
Looks like broccoli. I don't like broccoli. I'm funny with Cabbage to. I LOVE Savoy cabbage but you can only get it in the winter here
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maybe i misunderstood you, but it sounded to me like you were saying that there is more value in potato chips and soda than that woman's entire bag of groceries. that is were i took issue.0
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I agree fruits and veggies are really cheap in reality. I usually buy a bag of apples and a bag of oranges and they last all week easy for a grand total of 10$. Other veggies are pretty cheap, I agree, but Idk if I could feed two people for a week on $30. That said, I always buy in bulk, be it meats or fruits/veggies. Its the cheapest way to go. Period.0
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I agree there are was to save money eating fresh. Lots of times this is true and yet people will still use it as an excuse. That said there are food desserts where fresh food is scarce. Places where the easiest food source is a corner store. Not every town has a super market that has fresh food prices to season. That said people I live near use this excuse. I feed a family of 4 on a budget of 300 dollars a month. I can not do that only buying junk. I am not buying all organic either. If potatoes are on sell we eat them if not we might not. It requires work. I just had this debate with a friend who is no longer in college mode and said I would like to eat healthy but it is too expensive. So I showed him how to shop, he bought a deep freezer and put it in his garage and stocked it up. Avacados go on sell several times a year around here he eats a lot of mexican food so I showed him how to freeze them and buy them when they are 3 for a dollar vs 1 for 2.50. Stuff like that. Buying in bulk, buying big bags of frozen when not in season all that helps. I can usually get a meal down bellow value menu prices per person. So if your excuse is only time and not the area, than I know for a fact eating fresh is cheaper. I grew up poor and buying junk food was a luxery. Eating at McDonalds was frowned on because that costed money we didn't have. When I need to cut out of my budget I buy the core items. Beans, wild rice, whole chickens(usually under 70 cents a pound) and season produce or bulk frozen. A lot of soups, casseroles, stewed cabbage(cabbage super cheap) and save money by not buying sodas, frozen pizzas, box dinners.
My point is most people..., not all... But most can save shopping with healthier options in the cart than junk. Most of them when confronted want to believe they are saving money even though they are not. Saving time maybe but usually not money. Most people are the same when they start eating healthy. They buy health food store fat free glutton free pretzel chips 4 bucks, organic yogurt imported with penguin milk 10 bucks, all organic tofu box dinners in a curry sauce 7 bucks a box. Buying leeks and beets and such regardless of season. Grocery bills shopping healthy can get really big. Behind any need is someone wanting to upswell something.
I have Mac and cheese, I have a head if cabbage, group of tomatoes, bag of chips, freezer bags of ground beef I bought is one big roll mixed a few expensive lean pounds with than devided and froze in one pound blocks. I bought spaghetti sauce already made, than bought canned tomatoes and a basil plant to make some fresh. My freezer always has frozen veggies and roasts and chickens I buy what is on sell and it differs. Eating a healthy diet doesn't mean only buying things labeled health food. It is being smart finding a way that fast food is the more expensive choice. That dinners don't always come out a box, that something fresh makes it to a plate every so often. It isn't rocket science but it does take math.
Again this only applys to people not trapped in a food dessert. If you only have access to junk in your neighborhood bubble than it takes a whole different sets of skills and resources.0 -
Couple of thoughts--
When cutting out sugary'/carby foods and choosing good, clean food, lean meat, veggies, proteins, limiting my fruits, et cetera I found my appetite decreased. For myself, I can eat fairly inexpensively and make wise choices and cut out all the crap and not put myself too far behind financially.
HOWEVER-- in the real world where I live, with eight kids living at home, still in various stages of growth spurt (which equals amazing kid hunger) all at the same time, it is unbelievably expensive to focus on only healthy food. A bag of apples costs twice as much as a bag of chips... But goes just as quickly!
Having said that-- I am still trying, but I must take issue with the original poster. It is not as easy and pitter-pat as you'd lead others to believe. So you and your husband can get by at the ripe old age of 23?? Super.
Try having a couple of kids after you grow up and feeding a large family and get back to me when you do.
Until then, you may wish to descend from your high horse and consider that you just may not have all the answers.0 -
For those who say healthy food is too expensive; is it more expensive then the doctor? Because you will spend more time being sick and at the doctor (and missing work/kids missing school) if you eat unhealthy then if you pay up front for healthy and eat better.
But ultimately it is your decision to make. We choose healthy up front and skip on doctors.
That's a moot point when you HAVE NO MONEY.
If I'm broke, guess what? There's no "decision" to be made. I get to feed my family for a week on $50. If I get sick, guess what? It doesn't matter how expensive the doctor is because we aren't going unless its to the ER.0
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